This I think is one of the best Chili songs on any album, it can be interpreted many different ways depending on your point of view. Many of which have already been discussed here. But I'm going to go out on the limb here and take a different approach.
It's pretty well known that the Peppers aren't beleivers of organized religion, although they are very spiritual. It seems most of them have the same beliefs as the shoa lin monks mentioned in the song. With that in mind, I think this song is about the evils of organized religion that plague much of the world.
"Easily lets get carried away" - Fundamentalist/Extremist very easily get carried away with religion.
"Easily lets get married today" - So much so, that they get married at the drop of a hat, an organized religous ceremony.
"Shoa Lin shouted a rose from his throat"-Shoa Lin monks try to teach(from their throats)peace(the rose).
"Everything must go"- All organized religion must go
"A lickin stick is thicker When you break it to show"- A "Lickin Stick" I'm interpreting as a whip used on catholic school children, but is made of wood(a natural material). Wood is "thicker" holds more evidence for evolution when you break it open than the bible, Qur'an, etc. (also products of wood)does for religion
"The story of a woman on the morning of a war
Remind me if you will exactly what we're fighting for"- The majority of wars throughout history have been caused because of religious differences.
"Calling calling for something in the air
Calling calling I know you must be there"- Notice the "Calling, Calling" as if it's desperate, but in vein. Many call for gods assistance, from heaven (air), claiming to know that it is there.
"Easily let's get caught in a wave"- It's quite easy to get caught in the "wave" of religion.
"Easily we won't get caught in a cave"- People of belief, disprute that humans haven't evolved from apes, or cavemen and refuse to get "caught" in the belief of the idea.
"Shao Lin's shakin for the sake of his soul"- Scared for the sake of his (our) soul. "Our" because they believe in everything as one.
"Lookin mighty tired of
All the thing that you own"- The arguement that is for religion, is getting mighty hard to defend, with the evidence of evolution stacking up against it. Religion has a mighty debt for the things it will have to "own" up to.
I can't tell you who to idolize"- No one can tell you what to believe, or who (jesus?, allah?. etc.)
"You think it's almost over
But its only on the rise"- Believers think the end is coming, god is coming and that will put the building evidence against it to rest. However, the evidence is only rising(building).
"Throw me to the wolves
Because there's order in the pack"-Darwins theory, which isn't really a theory anymore,it's pretty much proven.
"Throw me to the sky
Because I know I'm coming back"- Throw me to heaven, because there is no such thing, I'll just fall back to earth with the law of gravity, a law of nature.
"I don't want to be your little research monkey boy
The creature that I am is only going to destroy"-Many believers say that if we have evolved(from the same ancestors as monkeys, which research has shown), we are simply savage animals with no moral code, if there is no religion.
Again, I'm going out on the limb here, I presume many will see this as too far of a reach and the song isn't that indepth. But listen to "Wet Sand", its about an arguement over creation vs evolution. Also, if you are religious this is only an interpretation of the song. I respect your beliefs, and am in no way personally attacking them. Thanks.
I think you're closest to hitting the nail on the head with this one. Or at least it's the closest to my own interpretation I've found. Very well explained. I'm glad you touched on the Shao Lin, many of the explanations don't touch on this, but it comes up in most of the verses and I think (like you) that's it's integral to understanding the meaning of the song.
I think you're closest to hitting the nail on the head with this one. Or at least it's the closest to my own interpretation I've found. Very well explained. I'm glad you touched on the Shao Lin, many of the explanations don't touch on this, but it comes up in most of the verses and I think (like you) that's it's integral to understanding the meaning of the song.
This I think is one of the best Chili songs on any album, it can be interpreted many different ways depending on your point of view. Many of which have already been discussed here. But I'm going to go out on the limb here and take a different approach.
It's pretty well known that the Peppers aren't beleivers of organized religion, although they are very spiritual. It seems most of them have the same beliefs as the shoa lin monks mentioned in the song. With that in mind, I think this song is about the evils of organized religion that plague much of the world.
"Easily lets get carried away" - Fundamentalist/Extremist very easily get carried away with religion.
"Easily lets get married today" - So much so, that they get married at the drop of a hat, an organized religous ceremony. "Shoa Lin shouted a rose from his throat"-Shoa Lin monks try to teach(from their throats)peace(the rose). "Everything must go"- All organized religion must go
"A lickin stick is thicker When you break it to show"- A "Lickin Stick" I'm interpreting as a whip used on catholic school children, but is made of wood(a natural material). Wood is "thicker" holds more evidence for evolution when you break it open than the bible, Qur'an, etc. (also products of wood)does for religion
"The story of a woman on the morning of a war Remind me if you will exactly what we're fighting for"- The majority of wars throughout history have been caused because of religious differences.
"Calling calling for something in the air Calling calling I know you must be there"- Notice the "Calling, Calling" as if it's desperate, but in vein. Many call for gods assistance, from heaven (air), claiming to know that it is there.
"Easily let's get caught in a wave"- It's quite easy to get caught in the "wave" of religion.
"Easily we won't get caught in a cave"- People of belief, disprute that humans haven't evolved from apes, or cavemen and refuse to get "caught" in the belief of the idea.
"Shao Lin's shakin for the sake of his soul"- Scared for the sake of his (our) soul. "Our" because they believe in everything as one.
"Lookin mighty tired of All the thing that you own"- The arguement that is for religion, is getting mighty hard to defend, with the evidence of evolution stacking up against it. Religion has a mighty debt for the things it will have to "own" up to.
I can't tell you who to idolize"- No one can tell you what to believe, or who (jesus?, allah?. etc.)
"You think it's almost over But its only on the rise"- Believers think the end is coming, god is coming and that will put the building evidence against it to rest. However, the evidence is only rising(building).
"Throw me to the wolves Because there's order in the pack"-Darwins theory, which isn't really a theory anymore,it's pretty much proven.
"Throw me to the sky Because I know I'm coming back"- Throw me to heaven, because there is no such thing, I'll just fall back to earth with the law of gravity, a law of nature.
"I don't want to be your little research monkey boy The creature that I am is only going to destroy"-Many believers say that if we have evolved(from the same ancestors as monkeys, which research has shown), we are simply savage animals with no moral code, if there is no religion.
Again, I'm going out on the limb here, I presume many will see this as too far of a reach and the song isn't that indepth. But listen to "Wet Sand", its about an arguement over creation vs evolution. Also, if you are religious this is only an interpretation of the song. I respect your beliefs, and am in no way personally attacking them. Thanks.
I think you're closest to hitting the nail on the head with this one. Or at least it's the closest to my own interpretation I've found. Very well explained. I'm glad you touched on the Shao Lin, many of the explanations don't touch on this, but it comes up in most of the verses and I think (like you) that's it's integral to understanding the meaning of the song.
I think you're closest to hitting the nail on the head with this one. Or at least it's the closest to my own interpretation I've found. Very well explained. I'm glad you touched on the Shao Lin, many of the explanations don't touch on this, but it comes up in most of the verses and I think (like you) that's it's integral to understanding the meaning of the song.